A Dozen Roses
by MizuneMinamiki
Summary: "I've gotten nothing but...but these ridiculous roses all day long!" [Misaki x Takumi]


_**I know that in Japan, the girls usually give the boys chocolates on Valentines Day, and yes, I'm aware that's how it goes in the manga as well, but I'm doing it differently here. I really don't have a reason for changing it up like this except that I'd half-typed it before I was like, "Well crap. It doesn't happen like that." **_

_**Damn it, America.**_

_**Also, my first Maid-Sama fic, so I'm gonna warn that I'm not very good at keeping characters in-character. I tried...**_

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><p>It was just a day with some fancy title, Misaki often told herself, and it was nothing more than a nuisance to the girls of Seika High, who were horribly outnumbered by the school's male students. There shouldn't have been anything different about the fourteenth of that month than any other day of the year, yet sure enough, she found herself walking into a high school full of lovestruck idiots and poor, defenseless girls trying to escape the boys who chased them down with flowers and chocolates - though there was the rare, brave girl who would offer a treat to a particularly special guy.<p>

Misaki had been absolutely positive that she would never have to deal with such things as receiving gifts and love notes, nor would she present them to _any_one; she had left her house that morning with the certainty that she would only be involved in the repulsive _Valentine's Day_ by chasing away the boys who were tormenting the girls by showering them with love and affection in a very forthright manner. Yet, despite her best attempts to stay out of such ridiculous romantic things, she found herself caught in her lover's clever and subtle way of expressing his feelings.

The first sign that he was going to be showing her his affections throughout that day was tied to the rose given to her by an enthusiastic Sakura, who had a pinkish color on her cheeks and a smile that didn't seem as though it would fade any time soon. On the note attached to the prickly green stem by a red string, the symbol for "_passion_" was written in neat black ink.

"He's really got the hots for you!" Sakura sang as Misaki clutched the flower in her fist, ignoring the thorns that bit at her flesh. "He gave this to me himself, and he said to make sure you got it. You should've seen him! He had this intense look in his eyes..."

Misaki cut her best friend off before she would get drowned in Sakura's excited rambles - and part of her was slightly surprised that she hadn't heard anything about Kuuga yet, though it _was_ only a few minutes into the school day, and he would surely come up in their later conversations. "That's his everyday look," she ground out, throwing the rose into a nearby trashcan.

Sakura's light eyes widened in surprise, and without hesitation, she leaned over the edge to fish the beautiful blood-red flower from the trash. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed once she'd retrieved it, and Misaki took a step back in bewilderment as her friend thrust the rose towards her again. "This is special, Misaki-chan! This means that he really, really likes you!"

Grumbling, Misaki snatched the rose from Sakura and shook her head. "Well, he better not be expecting anything in return."

.

The second time she received a gift from Takumi, the rose was handed to her by Kanou, whose face was expressionless while his dark bangs cast shadows over his eyes. The boy had approached her with his lips set into a thin line and gaze lowered toward the ground, his hood covering his head.

Misaki's response was nothing more than a simple grunt in acknowledgement, and she took it from him without uttering a single word. There was no note that time, and Misaki wasn't sure whether she felt her heart drop slightly for that reason or if she was actually feeling a small sense of relief.

Either way, the pair of roses that she carried with her now were drawing the attention of many of her classmates - both those who liked and those who despised her. And she was certain that she was going to kill that dumbass Takumi when she saw him next - _if_ she saw him, because she hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of his head of bright golden-blond hair amongst the other students that day.

.

Misaki had considered heading to the roof to eat her lunch - perhaps she would have a chance to confront Takumi there, and she knew she would feel a lot better if she could yell at him for the roses she'd been delivered, even though she hadn't gotten anymore since the beginning of the day - but she opted out, deciding it would be best to sit with Sakura and Shizuko like she had in the past. She hadn't realized how little time she'd spent with them in the recent days; it almost made her feel guilty.

"Have you been given anything else from a certain _someone_?" Sakura asked as Misaki sank onto her knees on the grass right next to her.

The dark-haired girl shook her head, dropping her golden gaze to look down at the ground while she opened up her bento and placed it carefully on her lap. Her fingers drummed restlessly against her leg when she noticed that her brunette friend had her dark pink eyes fixed on her, wide and curious and oh-so enthusiastic. With a sigh, Misaki began to pick at her food and mumbled, "Another rose, through Kanou this time."

"Ooh! Did he write anything cute?" she squealed excitedly, leaning forward.

"No."

Sakura's excitement seemed to die right in that moment, her eyebrows knitting together and lips pressing into a frown. "Aw; I'm so sorry!"

"Why should you be? It's nothing special," Misaki lied around a mouthful of food; perhaps it had hurt her a little bit that she wasn't given a note - but it was only because she was _slightly_ curious as to what kind of sweet things he would probably write on one! She couldn't tell that to Sakura, though; she'd never hear the end of it, and it had taken her a couple of hours to admit that much to_ herself_.

"Sorry that I'm late." Shizuko plopped down right next to them less than two seconds after they heard her voice, and as she situated herself on the ground, she tossed a rose to Misaki. "Usui wanted me to give this to you."

Misaki's cheeks colored as she took the green stem between two fingers, lifting the plump, red petals up to her nose to breathe in the honey-rich scent. The first thing she noticed, also, had been that there was no note on this one, either, and the warmth in her chest seemed to dissipate when that realization sank into her mind. She bit down on her lip as she set it aside with the other two, and it was then that she realized how quiet her friends had been; as she glanced up at them, she saw the two girls watching her - Sakura, with a wide grin and twinkling eyes and Shizuko, a faint smile while her head was cocked to the side - and she knew then that she wouldn't have a moment of peace while she ate her lunch.

.

She was the first to enter the Council room, as usual, and even though the place was completely empty, there was one thing that caught her attention right away. She took slow steps in the direction of the desk at the front, shrugging off her bag as she approached, and as she set it down on the desk, she reached over to retrieve the rose setting there, a piece of paper placed beneath it.

Misaki scowled at the sight, her heart twisting as she reached for the paper, pulling it out from under the rose gently and lifting it up to read.

_"Ayuzawa...is so addicting; you know that, right, Misa-chan?"_

Her face darkened, her lips quirking downward. The nerve of that pervert! She chewed on her lower lip as she reached for the rose, the fourth one, her amber eyes glazed over in thought. Why was he trying so hard, and when was it going to stop? Her gaze was fixed on nothing in particular, a spot somewhere ahead of herself, and she twisted the rose around beneath her chin, the soft petals brushing against her skin.

A strange feeling of peace seemed to sweep through her body as Takumi graced her thoughts, and no matter how much she tried to tell herself that he irked her, that he drove her crazy - and not in a good way - she knew it was a total lie. There was something else, something foreign, that she was feeling towards the boy.

Barely noticeable, a smile formed on her lips as she sighed, muttering, "Oh, Usui, you stupid pervert."

"Hey, Pres?" Yukimura pushed the door open, peeking through it timidly to make sure that she wasn't busy before he walked into the room. He extended his hand toward her, and in it, was a rose, just as lush and beautiful as the one she had been holding. "Usui-senpai just gave me this for you."

Misaki swallowed past the lump in her throat, wishing that she could force herself not to blush as she whirled around to look at the Vice President, her golden eyes flashing. "_Just?_" She brought the rose she had been holding closer to her chest. "As in, just now?"

Yukimura, clearly bewildered, nodded and said, "Y-Yea, he just passed me in the hall..."

In swift steps, Misaki made her way over to the dark-haired boy, and as she pushed past him, she reached to snatch the rose from him. "Thanks, Yukimura," she huffed, and darted out the door to the classroom, shouting for Takumi. Her footsteps pounded on the floor, echoing off walls of the empty hallway, and once she turned the corner to the stairs, she paused, one hand placed on the wall to steady herself. Her legs shook slightly, her breath coming in ragged gasps, but she still gathered in as much air as she could manage and howled his name in a mixture of frustration and desperation. "Usui!" When she received no answer, she let her head hang and mumbled, "Damn it, Usui."

.

"Misa-chan!"

The brunette girl had only just stepped into Maid Latte, her hand placed on her shoulder to hold the strap of her shoulder bag as it swung loosely at her side, and she turned her head in the direction of her manager as the woman bounded over to her.

Satsuki halted at Misaki's side, grinning, and immediately took notice of the distracted look in the brunette's eyes. She had her hands behind her back and, leaning closer, moved one of them to her front of reveal a rose, just as beautiful as the others. Misaki blinked a couple of times in surprise and tentatively reached forward to take the flower rom her manager. Her eyes were glittering with curiosity, her eyebrows knitted together questioningly as she met the woman's gaze. Her lips parted for her to say something, but Satsuki interrupted her.

"_He_ said you'd know who it was from!" The woman giggled happily, covering her mouth with her hands. "Has he been treating you _wonderfully_ today? He wouldn't tell me much, though... What about you? What's he been doing to flatter you?"

Misaki stared down at the rose blankly for a moment, and then she shook her head, shrugging. "Nothing very special," she mumbled, her cheeks coloring at the thought of receiving her sixth flower.

"Misa-chan, this doesn't look like _'nothing very special_,'" the manager cooed, grinning broadly as she leaned closer to the young maid, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder to steady herself as she whispered in her ear. "You need to quit giving that boy the cold shoulder, Misa, because he's really trying his hardest."

"What he's doing doesn't mean anything. He's only teasing me," Misaki said with finality woven into her words. She was certain that he wasn't only toying with her, but she still didn't want to get her hopes up too high. Boys were liars - pathetic liars who didn't care about anyone but themselves, and even though she was sure that Takumi wasn't that kind of person, she still wanted to make sure that she didn't allow herself to get hurt when she had the perfect chance to prevent it.

"I don't think he is..." Satsuki mused, tapping her fingertip against her chin in thought. "He's a nice boy, Misa-chan."

Not knowing what else to say, Misaki just shrugged and said, "We'll see." She began to head for the back where she could change into her uniform, and as she did so, her manager followed her, bouncing as though she were a little kid trying to keep a secret.

"Do you think he'll come back to visit you before your shift ends?"

"Maybe." _I hope so. I really need to have a word with him_, she thought after she answered, and she set her bag down as she began to work on taking her jacket and shirt off. Perhaps, though, it would've been best if she didn't end up confronting him while she was at work, because she might not have been able to control the irritation that had begun to seep into her veins at his stupid gifts, despite the way they warmed her body.

Misaki smoothed out her dress after she had placed her clothes into the locker, and she began to head out, only to be stopped when she heard Subaru's soft-spoken voice.

"Oh, Misa-chan." The green-haired woman swept her bangs to the side with her fingers and reached for a rose that had been stuffed in her apron. "Usui-san left this here for you."

.

Misaki had had worse days when working at Maid Latte.

Though, that day came in a close second to her more miserable times at the place; being handed a rose from a different co-worker every time she turned around was not exactly how she would've liked her shift to pass. By the time she'd been ready to change out of her frilly maid dress and back into some leisure clothes, she had a total of ten roses stuffed in her bag - and as she began to fool around with her clothes, she found yet another hidden within them. At the time, she'd been infuriated at the possibility of him rifling through her clothes just to cleverly place a rose there, but eventually, she settled on the fact that he wouldn't have been able to sneak in without her knowing. She figured that that idiot Takumi had talked one of the other maids into doing it.

She tugged on the hem of her jacket after she flung her bag over her shoulder, all of her roses thrown carelessly within; the some of the leaves had already begun to fall off, and the once-plump, beautiful petals had begun to wilt, crushed by the books in her bag. Misaki made her way to the back of the shop, and as she placed her hand on the door, she called out a 'goodbye' to the others.

"Good job today, Misaki!" Satsuki shouted, waving to the brunette. "See you tomorrow!"

"See you," she replied softly, pushing the door open and stepping out.

"Have fun!" Her words were laced with a suggestiveness that made a cold shiver travel down the length of Misaki's spine, and the brunette girl only mumbled a half-hearted response before she fled the shop, ignoring the Satsuki's and Honoka's giggles.

Misaki's footsteps were heavy, her golden gaze angled down at the ground to watch her feet as they carried her along the sidewalk towards the main street. She was tired, irritated, and wanted nothing more than to get back home with her mother and Suzuna, to forget the eleven roses she'd been given by that idiot Takumi throughout the day, even though she hadn't so much as seen his face. She shook her head slightly as she looked up to see where she was going, crossing the street with quick strides before she slowed her pace to a walk once again, and she sighed.

What had been the _point_ of Takumi giving her such treats? Had he lost his mind? What on earth possessed him to make him think that she would so willingly accept them - from a pervert like him, no less?

Grinding her teeth together in frustration, Misaki turned a corner, only to come face-to-face with the very blond who had been polluting her thoughts all day long. His eyelids seemed to hang lazily over his emerald eyes that reflected so many emotions - none of which she was familiar with; his lips formed a thin line - not a smile, not a frown, completely neutral. One of his hands was shoved into the pocket of his khaki pants, the other held behind his back, but she paid no mind to it.

"Ayuzawa," he said simply, as though he were doing nothing more than greeting someone he was acquainted with - as though this wasn't the girl he'd spent the day sending roses to the student council president.

Misaki's cheeks turned to a rosy hue almost immediately upon laying eyes on him, and when he spoke her name, she wasn't sure whether she'd felt her blood run cold in her veins or boil in her stomach; she instinctively clutched the strap of her shoulder bag even tighter, as though she were trying to refrain from hitting him, and she quickly clenched her other hand into a fist. The brunette returned his greeting with a simple utter of his last name, holding his gaze defiantly.

"I didn't see you today."

"Like hell," she ground out through gritted teeth. "I've gotten nothing but...but these ridiculous roses all day long!" As though to prove it to the blond, she whipped her bag to her front and opened it, showing him the withering red flowers.

His expression didn't change, eyes just as bored as they'd seemed only moments before, and he leaned over to look into the bag, casting a shadow over the much shorter girl. After a second, he pulled back, straightening up and meeting her gaze. "You kept them."

She furrowed her brows, cocking her head to one side and trying her hardest to ignore her flaming face. "O-Of course I did! Sakura wouldn't let me get rid of the stupid things!"

Takumi stared at her blankly. Then, he closed his eyes and gave a faint nod of his head. "I see." He looked back at her and stepped forward, pulling his hand from his pocket and placing it atop her shoulder to keep her still, and before Misaki's mind could register what was going on, Takumi's warm lips connected with hers. He held the kiss for much longer than she'd expected, and like before, she found herself rigid with shock and unable to move, though she closed her eyes as though to savor the warm sparks that shot down her body from the source of his touch.

When Takumi pulled away, he pulled a rose from behind his back, his fingers grasping it in a spot where there were no thorns. He hadn't cracked a smile - his lips hadn't even twitched! - and his gaze was carefully guarded. Misaki, on the other hand, stared down at the beautiful flower while her stomach tied itself in knots, and hesitantly, she began to reach for it. Just as she managed to grasp the stem, her fingers brushing over his skin, Takumi spoke.

"I guess Prez still isn't used to me." He offered her a small grin as she took the rose from him, her eyes glazed over as though she were in a lovestruck daze. "I'll just have to try even harder to win Ayuzawa over then."

Misaki's lips moved even though words refused to come out, and she found herself stepping forward as Takumi backed away from her with a wave goodbye, that same stupid, guarded expression on his face - though she knew that whenever he looked that way, he was truly hurt.

"Usui!" she shouted, taking a few more steps toward him, but she stopped as he called out a lazy farewell. Holding the rose up to her chest, she lowered her head to stare at the ground and gritted her teeth together. "Damn it...you pervert..."

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><p><strong><em>Ehh, was it good? I wasn't TOO proud of it, but I don't think it's that bad... I just feel like the end happened too quickly.<em>**

**_See any errors? Point them out, please!_**

**_Drop a review, 'kay? It might inspire me to write more for this fandom - mostly this ship and Yukimura/Kanou and Aoi/Misaki. X3_**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

**_(:Mizune_**


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